books · Saskatchewan

Where to sell books, records and media in Saskatoon

4 businesses in and around Saskatoon that buy used books from the public — what each takes, and whether you are offered a purchase, a consignment or a loan.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • LPs in almost any genre except classical, opera and overstocked easy listeningLook up the exact pressing's completed sales on Discogs, not its asking prices. Audiopile says it reads the median price rather than the highest, also looks at the "Wants" count to judge sellability, and warns that online prices do not necessarily reflect the local market. Pressing origin matters — it pays more for Japanese, UK and other imports — so read the catalogue and matrix numbers on the label and in the run-out groove, not just the artist.
  • Records you were about to throw out because they look roughPut the visibly damaged records in a separate box and take them along anyway rather than sorting them into the bin.
  • Antiquarian books, modern firsts, fine bindings and local historyLook for a dust jacket present and intact, a date on the title page matching the copyright page with no later printing line, and an author signature. With none of those it is probably an ordinary secondhand book — but anything pre-1900, finely bound, or local history should be seen by a dealer before you decide.
  • Books published in the last five years, and classics in new editionsCheck the copyright page. If the newest date is more than five years old and the book is nonfiction, Halifax is not the stop for it — and its cap is 20 items per household in any case.
  • Children's and teen books printed since 2000, in gift conditionIt specifically wants board and baby books, preschool titles, popular series, graphic novels, non-fiction on nature, animals and space, and books with diverse characters. Its refusal list is short and exact: textbooks, encyclopedias, workbooks, library books, self-published books and damaged books.
  • CDs with no scratches, with their original linersA disc in a wallet or binder that still has its liner meets Halifax's rule. Discs stripped of their artwork are the hard ones to place.
  • Cassettes, where they are collectible rather than commonAudiopile's distinction is between common commercial tapes and collectible ones; a tape recorded or dubbed at home is neither. Sealed or small-run commercial releases are the ones worth asking about.

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • General mass-market paperbacks
  • Reader's Digest Condensed Books and other book-club condensed editions
  • Encyclopedia sets
  • Ex-library books and library discards
  • Outdated textbooks and computer manuals
  • Travel guides
  • Magazines, including long runs of National Geographic
  • Classical and opera LPs
  • Easy-listening and middle-of-the-road LPs
  • VHS tapes and ordinary audio cassettes
  • Used DVDs and Blu-rays, as a sale
  • Anything mouldy, musty, water-damaged, yellowed or heavily highlighted
  • Self-published books and workbooks
  • Hardcovers and spiral-bound books, as a prison donation
Prison book programs take softcovers only, and screen the content Canada — correctional institutions, via Books to Prisoners BC (Vancouver)

Books to Prisoners BC says that most prisons in Canada do not accept hardcover books, so it prefers that you do not donate them; it adds that hardcovers weigh more and cost more to ship. Spiral-bound books are also on its not-accepted list, along with damaged books, pornography, anything explaining how to immobilize a person, Canadian true crime about people currently incarcerated, and books critical of Canadian police and prison systems. Do not mail books to a prisoner directly on the assumption they will arrive.

Read the rule →
Hardcover books must be taken apart before the parts go in the carts City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary instructs residents to remove cardboard hard covers and spines and recycle them as separate items from the pages, and to put coverless and loose pages into the recycling. Leather, canvas and plastic book covers go in the black cart as garbage. Old and unusable paper books may go in the blue cart or a community recycling depot.

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Discs and tapes that cannot be reused are garbage; only the paper parts are recyclable City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary directs old and broken discs and tapes — vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and video tapes — to the black cart as garbage, while paper covers, music liners and record sleeves go in the blue cart. Its first advice is to pass usable media on to family and friends, sell it, or donate it to a local charity.

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Tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be reused go in the garbage; cases and inserts go in recycling Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Ontario

Peel Region states that video and audio tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be re-used may be placed in the garbage for disposal, and that empty cassette or video boxes, printed paper sleeves and inserts go in the recycling cart or a clear or blue transparent plastic bag. Reusable items in good condition may be donated at some Community Recycling Centre locations, where staff have the right to refuse items on inspection.

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Cassettes, CDs and DVDs are not accepted in the Blue Bin City of Toronto, Ontario

Toronto's Blue Bin page names cassettes, CDs and DVDs under other plastics that do not belong in the bin. Books are not listed on either the accepted or the not-accepted side — they appear only in a photo caption of paper items — and the page tells residents to check the Waste Wizard tool when they are unsure, which is the only authoritative answer for books in Toronto.

Read the rule →

4 places in Saskatoon that take books

Once Upon A Child (Saskatoon)

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysChildren's clothing, Children's shoes, Toys, Children's books, Baby gear, Kids' furniture
The dealOutright purchase - the site states you get cash on the spot for the items they accept, with no appointment necessary. Their site notes each location is individually owned and operated, so what a particular store accepts and its exact terms can differ; confirm with the Saskatoon store. No payout percentage is published.
WhereTwo Saskatoon location pages are live on their own locator, Saskatoon West and Saskatoon East. Neither page publishes the street address, phone number or opening times; use the locator's directions or email link.
No public premises listed. We could not find a street address or phone on their site.
No payout rate is stated and the store's refusal list is not published, so what they will take and what they will pay are only knowable in store. Second-hand children's clothing, shoes, equipment, furniture and safety devices are on the exemption list in the provincial pawned-property regulations.
Visit their site →

Peryton Books

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysQuality used books across roughly two dozen subjects including fiction, history, art, philosophy, science, poetry, First Nations and local history
Won't takeEncyclopedias, Textbooks, Reader's Digest serial publications, Former library books, Magazines, Warped, stained or worn books, weak or broken bindings, marked-up text, strong odours, Health, diet and fitness titles (as of 2025), Travel guides and automotive manuals (as of 2025)
The dealStore credit only. Their published wording is that "Credit is offered in the amount of 50% of our sell price, and never expires." No cash option is mentioned anywhere in the policy. Small trades of one to three bags or small boxes take roughly 15-20 minutes to go through, and larger trades take longer; you take home whatever they decline.
Where408 20th St. W, Saskatoon, SK S7M 0X4
This is a credit-only trade - the policy states 50% of their sell price in store credit and mentions no cash option. The exclusion list is long: textbooks, former library stock, magazines and encyclopedias are refused outright.
Visit their site →(306) 244-1442

Resurrected Records

Buys outright Not stated — ask
BuysVinyl records, Cassettes, CDs, 8-tracks, VHS tapes, Turntables
The dealOutright purchase of collections. Their sell-your-media page states they buy vinyl, cassettes, CDs, 8-tracks and VHS tapes, that they buy collections as a whole rather than making you price items individually, and that payment is by cash or e-transfer once a price is agreed. On what they pay, the figure published on their own page is "40-50% of your collection's value" - that is the store's own stated range, not an independent estimate, and "value" is not defined on the page.
Where115 3rd Avenue South, Saskatoon, SK (basement of the Drinkle Mall)
The 40-50% range is the shop's own published figure and the basis for it is not explained on the site. They buy collections as a lot, so a single valuable record is priced inside a bulk offer rather than separately.
Visit their site →306-250-1327

Westgate Books

Buys outright Bring it to them
BuysUsed books in good condition that the store believes it can sell reasonably quickly
Won't takeBooks that are not clean, bug-free and smoke-free, More than roughly two bags or boxes per visit
The dealMostly trade, not cash. Their published policy is store credit at 50% of the store's own sell-price for books in good condition that they think will sell reasonably quickly. On cash their wording is: "We very rarely pay cash for books at this time. If we are open to paying for your books we will let you know." Credits are recorded digitally and looked up at the till rather than issued on paper. They ask you to limit what you bring to about two bags or boxes, that books be clean, bug-free, smoke-free and neatly stacked, and to allow up to half an hour for them to go through them. What they accept varies with what is already on the shelf.
Where1022A Louise Ave, Saskatoon, SK S7H 2P6
The published offer is store credit at 50% of their sell price; cash is stated to be rare. Second-hand books and similar printed material are on the exemption list in the provincial pawned-property regulations.
Visit their site →306-382-5252
All of the following was verified against primary sources fetched directly: The Pawned Property (Recording) Act, c P-4.2 and The Pawned Property (Recording) Regulations, c P-4.2 Reg 1 (both downloaded from the Office of the King's Printer at publications.saskatchewan.ca), and The Business License Bylaw, 2002, Bylaw No. 8075, codified to Bylaw No. 9684, August 31 2020 (downloaded from saskatoon.ca). WHO THE PROVINCIAL RULES BIND. This is the point that decides whether the rest applies to a given shop. Section 2(e) of the Act defines a pawnbroker as \"a person who regularly conducts more than 10 pawn transactions per month\". The Act binds pawnbrokers. It does not impose identification or police-reporting duties on every second-hand dealer in the province, so an ordinary used-electronics shop, record shop, bookshop or jeweller that is not a pawnbroker is outside it. Section 2(g) defines an \"unconditional sale\" as the purchase of an article by a pawnbroker outright - so when a pawnbroker buys something outright, that sale is caught by the Act too, not just the loans. One further condition: section 7(4) says the identification and reporting section applies to a pawnbroker only where the chief of police has given at least 90 days' notice; in Saskatoon, bylaw section 27.7 has required electronic recording and reporting of all pawn transactions since January 1, 2005. IDENTIFICATION - TWO PIECES, ONE WITH A PHOTOGRAPH. Regulation section 4(1) requires a pawnbroker, before a pawn transaction or an unconditional sale, to obtain your name, address, telephone number and date of birth; a description of you including height, weight, gender, hair colour and eye colour; and the identification record numbers from two pieces of identification. One of the two must be one of the following types and only counts if it carries your photograph: a valid driver's licence issued by a Canadian province or territory or a US state; a passport issued by the government of origin; a Certificate of Indian Status Card issued by the Government of Canada; a Certificate of Citizenship Card issued by the Government of Canada; or a Conditional Release Card issued by Correctional Services of Canada. An original birth certificate may be used only if the accompanying second piece carries your photograph. Section 7(2) of the Act sets the consequence, quoted exactly: if a person \"refuses or is unable to provide the information required pursuant to subsection (1), the pawnbroker shall not complete the pawn transaction or unconditional sale.\" SERIAL NUMBERS. Regulation section 5 bars a pawnbroker from taking an article that bears or customarily bears a serial number \"unless the serial number is clearly legible and has not been totally or partially altered, removed or obscured.\" WHAT GETS RECORDED AND WHO SEES IT. Regulation section 4(1)(d) requires a detailed description of the article - manufacturer, year of manufacture, make and model, serial number, identifying marks, any title on the item, the media type for a CD, tape, vinyl record, DVD or VHS, and for jewellery the type, weight, karat, engraving or micro-reference, and the number, type, colour, clarity and shape of each gemstone. Section 4(2) requires the date and time, the price paid or the amount loaned on pawn, and the name of the person conducting the transaction; the dealer must issue you a receipt and retain a hard copy signed by both of you. Regulation section 6 requires the pawnbroker to record this electronically in a format approved by the chief of police immediately after the transaction, provide it to the chief of police as soon as practicable, and file a report at least once each day the shop is open - including a nil report on days with no transactions. A pawn or an outright sale at a pawnshop is therefore an identified, police-reported transaction. EXEMPTIONS - MOST HOUSE-CLEAROUT GOODS ARE OUTSIDE THE ACT. Regulation section 3(f) lists articles the Act does not apply to: second-hand books, magazines, journals, periodicals and other similar printed materials; postage stamps; second-hand infant's, toddler's or children's clothing, shoes, equipment, furniture or safety devices; adult clothing or shoes except leather or fur jackets and coats; second-hand cookware, glassware and eating utensils that do not contain precious metals; waste paper, waste cardboard and waste glass; second-hand furniture; second-hand appliances including refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and garbage compactors; and non-motorized lawn or garden equipment and tools. Section 3 also exempts retail returns for refund, exchange or credit, and acquisitions from a law enforcement agency, from a merchant, retailer or wholesaler with a permanent place of business, from a trustee in bankruptcy, executor, administrator or receiver who shows proof of position, or from a public official acting under judicial authority. SASKATOON'S BYLAW - PART V, PAWNBROKERS. Bylaw 8075 defines a \"pawnshop\" as \"a business wherein more than 10 pawn transactions per month are conducted\" and adopts the Act's definitions of pawnbroker, pawn transaction and unconditional sale. Section 27.2 requires a licence to operate a pawnshop, renewed annually. Section 27.3 bars a pawnshop from being located within 160 metres of another, measured property line to property line, with grandfathering for pawnshops that held a valid licence on October 4, 2004. Section 27.4 sets holding periods: a pawnbroker \"shall hold any property received in a pawn transaction or unconditional sale for at least two consecutive clear business days\", shall not display it for sale for 30 days, and shall not sell it until it has been displayed for sale for at least 15 days after that 30-day period. Section 27.5: a pawnbroker \"shall not engage in a pawn transaction or conditional sale with a person under the age of 18 years.\" Section 27.6: a pawnbroker \"shall not accept personal identification in a pawn transaction\" - your ID document itself cannot be the pawned article. Section 27.7 requires electronic recording and reporting of all pawn transactions under the provincial Act, effective January 1, 2005. PAWNING VERSUS SELLING. Both happen at the same counter and the paperwork looks similar, so the distinction is worth stating plainly. A pawn transaction is defined in the Act as depositing an article with a pawnbroker at interest or in expectation of profit, where it is express or implied that the article may be redeemed or repurchased. You get cash now, the shop holds the item, and you get it back only by repaying the advance plus the lender's charges by the deadline. Miss the deadline and the item is forfeited and sold, and the cash you took is the whole of what you received. An unconditional sale is final on the day. None of the Saskatoon pawnshops whose sites were checked publish interest rates, fees or redemption periods anywhere online, so those figures exist only in the store.

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

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